New Delhi [India], March 11 (ANI): Union Minister of State for Defence Sanjay Seth stated that India is committed to the welfare of its neighbours, while steadfast on zero-tolerance towards terrorism. He was delivering keynote address at the National Seminar: "Changing Dynamics in India's Neighbourhood", organised by Headquarters Integrated Defence Staff (HQ IDS) as part of the activities being undertaken to commemorate its 25th Anniversary in New Delhi on Wednesday.

Invoking the civilizational ethos of India, Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam, and averring it to be the land of Lord Krishna and Chhatrapati Shivaji, combining compassion with decisive strength, Seth made special reference to Operation Sindoor, a landmark military operation demonstrating the nation's resolve following the Pahalgam terror attack.

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According to the Ministry of Defence, Seth further said that, unlike all previous wars since 1947, Operation Sindoor was executed with various indigenous platforms, a powerful testament to the success of self-reliance in the defence sector.

Sanjay Seth, while outlining the transformation of India's defence industrial base, stated that defence exports have grown from Rs. 686 crores in 2014 to Rs. 23,622 crores in 2025, with a target of Rs. 29,000 crores in 2026 and Rs. 50,000 crores by 2029. Defence budget has reached an all-time high of Rs. 7.85 lakh crores. Department of Defence Production has achieved indigenisation of 3,190 defence components out of 5,012 under the positive indigenisation lists. The MSME sector in defence has grown from approximately 1 crore units in 2014 to 6.5 crore units today, employing 25 crore people. India's start-up ecosystem has grown from 1,000 start-ups in 2014 to over 2.9 million, establishing India as the world's third-largest start-up nation.

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Commenting on India's relations with its neighbours, Seth said that Bangladesh is a valued trade partner. He stated that India and Nepal are inseparable, united by history, culture, and shared security interests.

India continues to support Nepal through infrastructure projects, including the Janakpur-Kurtha railway link, hydropower projects, trauma centres, and the Motihari pipeline.

The event witnessed the release of a landmark policy document on Artificial Intelligence in the Military Domain, reflecting India's forward-looking vision for AI integration in national security enhancing operational capability, strengthening decision superiority, and promoting responsible innovation. SAMADH (Situational Awareness for Aerial Drones), designed and developed by the Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics (CAIR), a premier deep-tech laboratory of DRDO, was officially launched at the event. SAMADH is a scalable, extensible sovereign AI platform providing real-time situational awareness across the full spectrum of warfare, including autonomous and swarm drone environments. The Integrated Online Training and Evaluation Programme (IOTEP) was also launched to cultivate a joint operational mindset among India's middle-level military leadership.

Air Marshal Asutosh Dixit, Chief of Integrated Defence Staff (CISC), in his remarks, underscored the critical importance of the rapidly evolving geopolitical dynamics in India's neighbourhood. He highlighted that the changing strategic landscape and emerging challenges in the immediate neighbourhood require careful assessment and sustained engagement. Emphasising the growing complexities in regional relations, he noted that coordinated and comprehensive efforts across multiple stakeholders would be essential to effectively address these challenges and advance India's strategic interests in the region.

The event brought together senior policymakers, diplomats, military leaders, strategic scholars and practitioners to deliberate on India's evolving security environment and the broader implications for national and regional stability. (ANI)

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